Teenager stabbed to death

Tuesday 1 January 2008 00:09 BST

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death and his teenage sister injured after they were attacked by a group of youths outside their home, a family member has said.

Shaquille Maitland-Smith was knifed in the stomach just yards from his house in Hackney, east London, shortly before midnight on Saturday. Emergency services took him to hospital where doctors battled to save his life but he died just after 8am on Sunday.

His death brings the grim toll of teenagers killed this year in London in violent attacks to 25.

Shaquille's 16-year-old sister, named as Titi, suffered slash wounds in the attack and remains in hospital in a stable condition.

It is believed that both had been involved in an argument with a group of youths prior to the stabbing.

Jackie Green said her nephew had been sitting outside his house when a group of youths walked past and attacked him. "I don't think the others realised Shaquille had been stabbed at first, they thought he had just been punched," she said. "It's just terrible."

Titi was still suffering emotionally but was okay, she added.

She said Shaquille had four siblings and that both his parents were social workers.

Police said they were keeping an open mind about the motive. No arrests have been made in relation to attack and police are appealing for witnesses.

The street where the stabbing took place, St Thomas's Place, and also the square next to it, St Thomas's Square, were both cordoned off as forensic teams searched for clues. A post-mortem examination is due to take place at the Royal London Hospital.